Beth - "Sometimes, I’ll be nearing the end of a survey and not having seen any reptiles, I’ve given up on any hope of seeing any species on a survey plot. Then, without warning, a Lesser Earless Lizard will squirm across my line of sight in a barren landscape. Or a Prairie Rattlesnake will be waiting silently in the last burrow I check. I was surprised by some reptile species in a similar way this week by finding them in unexpected habitats. In sandy soils dotted with sagebrush I was not expecting to see a bright red Coachwhip scoot across a road, and I found an Ornate Box Turtle shell in a heavily-grazed shortgrass plot with no other species observed. It had me wondering at first if it could have some how been dropped there by mistake. Six-lined Racerunners looked like giants among Lesser Earless Lizards around a prairie dog town, shocking my search image, which was adjusted only for the smaller species. Spending so much time in the field every week reveals oddities and exceptions that I would not observe otherwise."

Jake - “As the days get longer and hotter in the middle of summer, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up the motivation to keep looking for these elusive animals. It can get tiring, frustrating, and more often than not, those hot days won’t yield much in terms of reptile encounters. On the other hand, it can make those few encounters even more special than they otherwise would be. Just when you’re feeling like it’s time to give up hope on finding anything, you’ll run into a Lesser Earless Lizard or a Six-Lined Racerunner, and all that motivation will come rushing back. So while it can get difficult at times, it’s important to keep in mind what this research will benefit, and push on through the slow days.”

Celina - "When you're starting something new, absolutely everything is new and exciting - every new species is a lifer! Everybody loves having a life list of something - whether it's the birds or herps you've seen, what you've been bit by (not my favorite list to be honest), exciting places you've been; everybody keeps track of what's exciting to them. This week we had rain come through, and I thought to myself "Yes! It'll bring out so much stuff!" yet the week continued to be oh... so slow. Friday rolled around and I knew we were on our last survey of the week, and I was determined to find something new! Something exciting! I never seem to be good at finding the lizards or snakes hiding under cow patties- spiders and beetles and crickets, yes, but not reptiles. I was absolutely delighted when I lifted a cow patty to find a lifer and a species of a family that I love... a Many Lined Skink (see voucher photo above). I know they've been documented multiple times this summer by others, but I hadn't observed one yet. It was a perfect end to the week and a lesson in perseverance - just because only 1 out of 500 cow patties(/rocks/logs) has a herp under it, doesn't mean you shouldn't lift it up anyway and hope it's the lucky one. You never know!

Devin - "Late this week, Celina and I broke off from the other crew members to survey a few sites on the Pawnee National Grasslands in northeastern Colorado. This was a new environment to survey for me and I was excited to see what we would be able to find up there. On one of our road cruises, I found a pair of bull snakes that were very close to each other. I don't usually see two snakes together that often, so I assumed that they were a breeding pair. On top of that we saw nearly 20 Lesser Earless lizards on the drive between survey sites the previous day!"

Beth - "The North American Racer is usually a swift, active snake but the one I stumbled upon in Comanche National Grasslands hung around for a while. We startled each other in the short grass and the Racer posed uncharacteristically long enough for me to take some shots of its black eyes looking like an alien with its light green body. This is a species I was familiar with in the eastern U.S. before starting with the Reptile Monitoring Project. However, Racers in the Great Plains are not solid black in coloration like their relatives on the east coast."

Devin - "This week we switched up crews and Beth and I headed down to southern Colorado to check out survey sites in Otero County. While we were down there, we spotted a beautiful Prairie Rattlesnake sitting on the road that stayed put long enough to let us get some good voucher photos of it!"

Celina - "Texas Horned Lizards are always a delight to find. Somehow I find their almost grumpy and disapproving demeanor charming and find myself often surprised by how bright the yellow highlights on them can be in some individuals! They can be tricky to find again (for a voucher photo opp) when you see them run off the road into cover, but they tend to pose nicely once you find them again."

Jake - "Last week, I wrote about how cool it is to see severe storms from a distance... this week, we experienced the storms close up.  In SW Kansas, we had a major storm roll over us in the late afternoon, which forced us to take cover. The lightning was intense, and the rain and hail was so thick we could hardly see. I've never experienced a storm so violent. On the plus side, the rain brought out the Ornate Box Turtles in force, and we had our hands full trying to record them all! It was a truly incredible experience."

Beth - "We surveyed a new (for the project) State Wildlife Area that had suitable habitat for Plains Hog-nosed Snakes; sandy soils, sparse vegetation, open prairie. Our hopes were high even for the short amount of time that we would be surveying the area and we actually found a young specimen, however, it was dead on a dirt road. A live Plains Hog-nosed Snake is still on my list for the summer."

Devin - "This weekend Danny and I met up with the folks from Colorado PARC for one of their field herping expeditions in Otero county. Going out into the field with these guys was a blast, everyone really knew their stuff and were startlingly good at finding critters. A few new species for me from this trip included a Lined Snake, a Glossy Snake, and some Plains Leopard Frogs! On Saturday Danny and I went off on our own to do some surveys, and right before we entered one of our survey plots we spotted an Eastern Collared Lizard. We took the opportunity to get some good pictures since it was posing for us, and at one point it even ran right up to us to check us out!"

Beth - "We’ve seen lots of Bullsnakes (Gopher Snakes) on the road so far this summer (dead and alive), and most of them are docile and mosey off the road. On Thursday in Pawnee National Grassland Jake and I pulled over to photograph one that we thought would be just as placid.  This particular specimen, with a few distinct “X” shaped saddles marking its back, reared up and gave a little faux rattle to its tail.  Often, Bullsnakes are killed because they resemble a rattlesnake, and this individual was using that similarity to try and convince us to leave. We snapped a few voucher photos and left it in peace."

Jake - "Sometimes, the greatest thing about this job is just getting to stop and look around at where we are. This week, we went from the bottoms of canyons to the tops of mountains, and out onto the vast plains of eastern Colorado. Even if we don't see too many reptiles in a day, just being able to know that we're somewhere that not many people get to see is pretty astounding. The abundance and diversity of habitat we see makes each week a new experience, and I feel truly lucky to have the opportunity to see it."

Celina - "This week I was able to see a species of lizard I haven't encountered previously: Greater Earless Lizards. Their "I know you can see me" tail wag was a delight to see, and they were happy to pose while we snapped voucher photos of them because they knew they could easily run away if needed. "

Devin - "The clouds were beginning to thicken as the final hour of our two-week journey was nearing an end, and all was quiet; the calm before a raging storm. I paced along the rocky hillside with a cool confidence, assured in the quality of this unique habitat to provide a glimpse at some marvelous species. A clap of thunder roared in the distance. I quickened my pace as the impending threat of the elements drew ever nearer. My time in Black Mesa State Park was coming to a close, I had to make every second count. I approached an open field, finally, a good opportunity with fair visibility. This was my chance. A flash or lightning accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder. I decided to give myself one more minute until I had to retreat. Then finally I found her; the most marvelous Speckled Kingsnake I’d ever seen in my life! I spent my final minute taking voucher photographs of this eager snake so desperate for the limelight. Another flash of lightning- the closest yet; time to get back to the vehicle! I increased my pace and made it back to the truck mere seconds before the start of hail. "

For the coming weeks we will largely be split into 3 groups to cover as much of the southern plains as possible.  We have surveys scheduled for Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.  

With recent rain scattered throughout the southern plains, we expect to continue to see high numbers of herpetofauna out and about!  

We have already observed many, many more snakes than at this point in 2013.  This may be due to the increased precipitation so far in 2014.  There has been flooding in some drainages in the past week, and that may push snakes into higher ground... we've unfortunately seen a lot of snakes dead on roads (DOR).  We've picked up a few new species for the project this week, including 2 Glossy Snakes (both DOR) and a Great Plains Ratsnake.  We also observed our first Western Ground Snake of 2014 (only the 2nd observed on the project, although we have found many shed skins for this species).  The rapid-inventory, Visual Encounter Surveys we use may not be ideal for fossorial (ground-dwelling) species, so it's always a delight when we do see them!  We also found 2 Round-tailed Horned Lizards - fewer than 30 individuals of this species have been reported in Colorado.

Celina - "This week found us split into our crews for the summer, and I enjoyed showing Devin Comanche National Grassland. We found a species that wasn't recorded during surveys last year- a Great Plains Rat Snake! This individual was found in the evening after the sun was going down, warming up on the road. So far there appears to have been a lot more rain than last year and we're seeing more individuals moving around- it gives me high hopes for what we'll see this summer! We also got to see Round-tailed Horned Lizards, which are even harder to find than their other cryptic cousins."

Beth - "Back on Pawnee National Grassland this week, impressive blooms of white Evening Primrose made the fields look like they were tucked under a thin sheet of snow. The 80 degree weather told us differently, however, as we drove through the eastern side of the grasslands past hundreds of wind turbines. On our last morning in the field, Jake and I finally found some time to hike around the Pawnee Buttes. The trail meandered around the stunning structures and through some carved-out sandstone where we found two memorable Short-horned Lizards; one about the size of a quarter and the other a particularly vivid adult. After being introduced to horned lizards this summer and seeing dozens of individuals for weeks already, they’re spiked grumpy faces still make me laugh."

Jake - "One of the most memorable experiences from this week came in the form of an afternoon surprise on the dirt roads of Pawnee: a nice, healthy Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis). On the way to one of our survey sites, we happened to see the large snake making his way across the road. He was a little startled as we pulled up, but after determining that we were no immediate threat, he quickly moved off the road into the tall grass; I've never seen a rattlesnake move so fast! All he wanted to do was leave us alone, but I’m glad we got the opportunity to see him, even as briefly as we did- he was one of the finest examples of rattlesnake I've ever seen in this state, and if the size of his rattle was any indication, had been around those grasslands for a while. It’s always an incredible experience to see something so dangerously beautiful."

This week the crews are splitting up to head north and south to survey sites in Colorado. With recent rainfall and warm (but not hot) temperatures expected, we should see a lot of reptiles out active this week!  Let us know what you're seeing out there - register as a volunteer today!

This was the first week of work for the other two crew members, Jake & Devin. While Beth & Celina surveyed sites on Comanche National Grassland, Danny trained Devin & Jake at Pawnee National Grassland.  On Friday, we all converged on Fort Carson and surveyed sites there with a biologist from the post.  We were lucky in dodging heavy rain (it surrounded us several times but the valley we were in only received light rain) and got to see quite a few Colorado Checkered Whiptails!  We also saw Sceloporus sp., a Coachwhip, and a Prairie Rattlesnake.

Beth - "We had a hunch it would be a good week for spotting herpetofauna when we started seeing lizards at 7 a.m., but we didn't know we would be seeing such a plethora of new species. This was my first time seeing a Spiny Softshell, a Six-lined Racerunner, Checkered Whiptails, and an Ornate Box Turtle. Beyond this mix of reptiles, it was a species we had already encountered that shocked me the most. At Carrizo Canyon in Comanche National Grasslands, as the day was ending, I saw what appeared to be a small blue dinosaur as it raced across our campsite. With a camera in hand we realized a Collared Lizard sat patiently on a paved pathway allowing us to get so close as to see the stunning detail of the leopard-like spots on its neck and face. It stuck around for a photo shoot for maybe 15 minutes and I wish it would have stayed around all night but I don’t know if I would have gone to sleep if it did."

Devin  - "My first week has already given me a ton of new and exciting experiences! I've had a chance to see many species new to me including Many-lined Skinks, a Coachwhip, and a Prairie Rattlesnake. I never quite realized how much reptile diversity could be in your own back yard, if you only know where to look for it."

Celina - "This past week some of my burrow-checking paid off, as I found a Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) sitting in the entrance of a badger burrow! This counts as the first snake found during a standardized survey for this season (given the cool temperatures so far), so that's really exciting for me! It serves as a reminder to keep checking mammal burrows for lizards and snakes because you never know... you might find that that one burrow you don't want to take an extra 2 steps to hides an exciting discovery."

After an unseasonably-late snowfall the previous week, we were able to survey sites in Fremont County, Colorado. While Danny spent part of the week serving as a volunteer Instructor for Southwest PARC's Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Biomonitor Training, Beth & Celina met up with a Colorado Parks & Wildlife Biologist to survey sites on BLM land in Fremont County. These sites are on the northwestern edge of the geographic distribution for the Colorado Checkered Whiptail, a parthenogenetic lizard species endemic to Colorado.

Notes from the crew:

Beth - "We have yet to find any Whiptails in southeastern Colorado, and again had no luck around Cañon City. We scrambled up some steep terrain in the aptly named area and saw very few reptiles over three days. In fact, this week almost left us with no new species spotted until the last day, driving out of town, when we pulled over for a distinctly pink, 4-foot long Coachwhip."

Celina - "This week, we got to see a different part of Colorado – in the foothills of the mountains.  I finally got to see a red color-phase Coachwhip, it’s such a beautiful and unexpected coloration in this active forager.  Sadly, this individual was found dead on the road, which is not an uncommon cause of death for many species of snakes."

A red color-phase Coachwhip from southern Texas.

Our first week in southeastern Colorado went well!  We recorded a number of observations both opportunistically and on survey sites.  We recorded our first observations of several species for 2014 including: Gophersnake (Bullsnake), Eastern Collared Lizard, Sceloporus sp. (likely Plateau Fence Lizard, but see review of current taxonomic uncertainty of Sceloporus spp. in Colorado here), and Texas Horned Lizard.  We were unable to find any of the whiptail species or Ornate Box Turtles on this trip, but with the rain that came late in the week and some warmer temperatures in a few weeks we should begin to see those species soon!

With previous weekend high temps in the 80's, we anticipate many reptile species becoming increasingly active this week. The CSU Reptile Monitor Crew is heading to southeastern Colorado (Comanche National Grassland) for the first time in 2014.  We're excited to see what species are active, and the Crew Leaders will get to see Comanche Nat'l Grassland for the first time.  Time permitting we'll conduct our first sampling ever on the Kansas side of the border on Cimarron National Grassland.  Check back next weekend for an update on what we encountered!

Week 1 found the 2014 Crew Leaders, Beth & Celina, beginning work and training.  As is typical in Colorado in early Spring, the weather jumps regularly from summer-like conditions (excellent for herping!) to near winter.  

The crew was able to get out for parts of 3 days for training this first week, with Short-horned Lizards (SHL) observed each day out on Pawnee National Grassland.  As is typical for SHL this time of year, all but one of those observed were adult males - they tend to emerge from hibernation earlier than do adult females.  We found a neonate female (born last August) out on Saturday when the temperature was in the mid-70's.  She was still covered in dirt as they often are after emerging from hibernation.  

We had a few other exciting observations in the brief time we were out this week, including a Many-lined Skink, several Prairie Rattlesnakes, and a Lesser Earless Lizard.